State comparison
Colorado vs Montana: which state is better to live in?
Montana costs a median household about $1,300 a year less in state and local taxes than Colorado, mostly because it has no sales tax.
Colorado
Moderate tax burden · COL index 110
Wins 6 categories
Montana
Low tax burden · COL index 104
Wins 9 categories
Taxes: Colorado vs Montana
Colorado has a flat 4.4% income tax, which works out to 4.4% on a median income of $74,580, or $3,282 a year. Montana has a graduated income tax topping out at 5.9%, which works out to 5.0% on a median income of $74,580, or $3,763 a year. Colorado wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 0.48% of home value a year in Colorado and 0.58% in Montana (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $2,616 against $2,610, so Colorado has the lower rate.
Montana has no sales tax; combined state and local sales tax averages 7.76% in Colorado.
Add it up for a household earning $74,580 (the 2022 national median) and owning the median home: $7,634 a year in Colorado, $6,373 in Montana. Montana is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Colorado's cost of living index is 110 and Montana's is 104, where 100 is the national average; Montana is about 6% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $545K in Colorado and $450K in Montana (Zillow, 2024), a $95K gap in Montana's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,850 a month in Colorado and $1,450 in Montana.
Home insurance averages $2,800 a year in Colorado and $1,500 in Montana, so Montana is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 453 incidents per 100,000 residents in Colorado and 398 in Montana (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Montana is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 14% lower. Property crime is 2,859 per 100,000 in Colorado against 2,298 in Montana, again favoring Montana.
Health
Life expectancy is 78.8 years in Colorado and 76.5 in Montana (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 2.3-year edge for Colorado. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Colorado's health system 9th of 50 and Montana's 30th, so Colorado scores better on care.
7.4% of Colorado residents have no health insurance against 9.2% in Montana, which favors Colorado. Both states expanded Medicaid.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Colorado's K-12 schools 9th in the country and Montana's 22nd, 13 places apart in Colorado's favor. Neither state runs a school-choice voucher program.
Laws and politics
In the 2024 presidential election Colorado went to Harris by 11 points and Montana went to Trump by 13 points.
Colorado has shall-issue carry permits and a Giffords gun-law grade of A-; Montana has permitless carry and a grade of F, so Colorado regulates guns more tightly and Montana is the friendlier state for gun owners.
Abortion is protected by state law in both states, and marijuana is legal for adults in both as of 2026. The minimum wage is $14.42 an hour in Colorado and $10.30 in Montana.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is high in Colorado (wildfire, blizzard, tornado) and moderate in Montana (wildfire, blizzard, drought), so Montana is the lower-risk state. Annual average air quality index is 50 in Colorado and 28 in Montana (under 50 is good), favoring Montana.
Tax figures use a household earning the national median income and owning each state's median home, at tax year 2026 rates, last checked against state sources on 2026-09-14. The table below has every number.
Taxes
Housing & Cost of Living
Crime & Safety
Healthcare
Education
Childcare
Utilities & Daily Costs
Social Policy
Category wins
6
Colorado
9
Montana
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Colorado or Montana better to live in?
Montana wins more of the measures that decide a move. Montana on taxes ($6,373 a year for a median household against $7,634); Montana on everyday costs (index 104 against 110); Montana on safety (398 violent crimes per 100,000 against 453); Colorado on schools (ranked 9th against 22nd).
Which is cheaper, Colorado or Montana?
Montana is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 104 against 110. The median home is $545K in Colorado and $450K in Montana (2024). On state and local taxes Montana saves a median household about $1,300 a year.
Does Colorado or Montana have lower taxes?
Montana. A household earning $74,580 pays about $7,634 a year in Colorado ($3,282 income tax, $2,616 property tax on the median home and $1,736 in sales tax) and $6,373 in Montana ($3,763 income tax, $2,610 property tax on the median home and $0 in sales tax), at 2026 rates.
Which is safer, Colorado or Montana?
Montana, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 453 per 100,000 residents in Colorado and 398 in Montana; property crime is 2,859 against 2,298.
Which has better schools, Colorado or Montana?
Colorado. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Colorado 9th of 50 for K-12 and Montana 22nd.
Is Colorado or Montana better for retirees?
Both treat retirement income about the same. Colorado taxes Social Security, partly exempts pensions and has no estate or inheritance tax; Montana taxes Social Security, partly exempts pensions and has no estate or inheritance tax. Property tax on a median home is $2,616 a year in Colorado and $2,610 in Montana.